For Immediate Release: November 18, 2022

CONTACT: media@colorofchange.org 

 

COLOR OF CHANGE: DISTRICT ATTORNEY BRAGG HAS MADE THE RIGHT DECISION AND WE CALL ON STATE SUPREME COURT JUDGE DIANA KIESEL TO HONOR HIS DECISION NOT TO PROSECUTE TRACY MCCARTER

Sakira Cook, vice president of Color Of Change, the nation’s largest online racial justice organization, issued the following statement in response to Manhattan district attorney’s office halting the prosecution of Tracy McCarter

“Survivors of domestic abuse should have the right to act in self-defense without fear of prosecution. Tracy McCarter is a mother, grandmother, and trained nurse from New York City, whose life has been upended because of the action of her abusive husband. Her story illustrates that when Black women are the victims of abuse, the criminal legal system often fails them. We cannot punish people for acting in self defense against their abusers, especially when their lives are in danger.

“We applaud District Attorney Alvin Bragg for his courage in finally recognizing this unjust situation and halting her prosecution. Yet, the final decision on this case, and the fate of a Black woman wrongfully accused, now rests with State Supreme Court Judge Diane Kiesel. We call on Judge Keisel to do the right thing and end this nightmare for Tracy,  her family, and all survivors, once and for all.”